What's Really In Pet Food?

Write or call pet food companies and the Pet Food Institute and express your concerns about commercial pet foods. Demand that manufacturers improve the quality of ingredients in their products.

Call API with any information about the pet food industry, specific manufacturers, or specific products.

Print out a copy of this report for your veterinarian to further his or her knowledge about commercial pet food.

Direct your family and friends with companion animals to the API website, to alert them of the dangers of commercial pet food. Or request copies of API's Fact Sheet on Selecting a Good Commercial Food.

Stop buying commercial pet food. Or if that is not possible, reduce the quantity of commercial pet food and supplement with fresh foods. Purchase one or more of the many books available on pet nutrition and make your own food. Be sure that a veterinarian or a nutritionist has checked the recipes to ensure that they are balanced and complete.

Please be aware that API is not a veterinary hospital, clinic, or service. API does not and will not offer any medical advice. If you have concerns about your companion animal's health or nutritional requirements, please consult your veterinarian.

Note: Because pet food manufacturers frequently change the formulations of their products and API would not have conducted the necessary testing, we are unable to offer endorsements for particular brands of pet food. Many of our staff choose to make their own pet food or to purchase natural or organic products found in most feed and specialist stores but we cannot
recommend brands that would be right for your companion animal or animals.

For Further Reading about Animal Nutrition

The Animal Protection Institute recommends the following books, many of which include recipes for home-prepared diets:

The books listed above are a fraction of all the titles currently available, and the omission of a title does not necessarily mean it is not useful for further reading about animal nutrition.

Please note: The Animal Protection Institute is not a bookseller, and cannot sell or send these books to you. Please contact your local book retailer or an online bookstore, who can supply these books based on the ISBN provided for each title.

What API is Doing

API is a liaison to the AAFCO Pet Food and Ingredient Definitions Committees. By attending AAFCO meetings, we hope to learn more about the industry itself and about potential avenues for bringing about change.

An API representative attends other petfood industry meetings to give voice to our and the consumers' concerns about pet food.

API is involved in lobbying for the federal regulation of pet food and the development of more stringent standards for the quality of ingredients used.

API will continue to provide information to the public about the pet food industry and the products it promotes.

API is preparing a detailed scientific paper documenting the numerous problems associated with commercial pet food, for presentation to veterinarians.